Save the Mothers' vision is that no mother or child should die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth." Or, "Save the Mothers is working toward the day when no child will lose its mother due to complications of pregnancy or childbirth. Photos courtesy of Save the Mothers.

Change within reach for helping mothers worldwide

Canada steps up efforts to meet Millennium Development Goals

By Craig Macartney and ChristianWeek Senior Correspondent | May 27, 2014

TORONTO, ON—Prime Minister Stephen Harper is continuing to promote “Canada’s top development priority.” Chairing an international summit on maternal, newborn and child health, May 28 to 30, Harper asserted that sustainable change and saving lives is within reach.

The summit, titled “Saving Every Woman, Every Child: Within Arm’s Reach,” invited representatives from numerous Canadian NGOs to join international participants, such as United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in discussing global progress and charting a path forward.

“Canadian Christians should be proud because a significant percentage of [organizations represented] are faith based,” says Daniel Scott, managing director of Save the Mothers, a Canadian organization dedicated to helping mothers and babies in the developing world. “Groups like World Vision and denominational organizations are all key players at the table. It is a very fine group and Save the Mothers is proud to be part of it.”

Canada has become a global champion of the Millennium Development Goals surrounding maternal, newborn and child health, pledging $2.85 billion toward maternal and child health programs, at the Muskoka G8 meeting in 2010.

Efforts to combat these issues is reaping tangible results. The summit website highlights a 45 per cent drop in child mortality rates between 1990 and 2012 and a 47 per cent drop in maternal deaths during pregnancy or childbirth between 1990 and 2010. It also cites tangible aid distribution including vitamins provided to more than 180 million children annually, 5.8 million children given vaccines and 1.9 million pregnant women provided with prenatal supplements.

However, with little more than a year-and-a-half remaining to reach the 2015 Millennium Development Goals’ deadline, Scott says more work is needed.

“Money is not the problem. There is money in Africa, but systemic change needs to happen. What’s needed is a cross-disciplinary approach. You need politicians, clergy, teachers, everybody working on it in different areas so change eventually comes as a result.”

Scott says one of the summit’s perks is it draws significant attention to the issue of 800 pregnant mothers dying from preventable causes every day.

“That public attention is important. The average Canadian is not aware. This is something we can do something about and the political climate is there to do it. Save the Mothers and all of the organizations involved need that exposure so that people can get involved—not just with finances, but working to ensure that moms don’t die unnecessarily.”